


A Tornado With a Lemon Drop Kiss

by squidt0fu



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, Light Angst, M/M, Multi, Playboy AU, Playboy as in Playboy bunnies and club stuff, Romantic Fluff, Sometimes you just need fluff for someone with a shitty job
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-19
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2019-08-25 06:43:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16656157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/squidt0fu/pseuds/squidt0fu
Summary: Jongin is a popular bunny at the NYC Playboy nightclub. Sehun happens to be the one to catch a glimpse of Jongin's face outside of his flirtatious attire, immediately taking an interest. The only problem? No one is allowed to date a Playboy bunny.





	1. Chocolate-Covered Cherry

**Author's Note:**

> SeKai's looks:  
> -[Jongin's normal hair](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/7e/81/59/7e815916f0a82bb53790fa2f8e2d9887.jpg)  
> -[Jongin's work hair](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/cd/b5/ee/cdb5eeea249e0e080f91322aad1ae7f9.jpg)  
> -[Sehun's hair](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/23/ea/9e/23ea9e803f99c43312103d58e1c2caff.jpg)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jongin finds himself back at the place he's dreaded for almost a year only because of his boss, but not in a good way. The only reason he keeps going back is that he needs money if he wants to be able to afford to stay in his dream school. 
> 
> Sehun lives his most peaceful life as a forensic science major, living alone in New York City, working a stable-enough side job as a researcher's assistant to pay the bills. That is, until one day he happens to pass by a certain hotel and spots a particularly good-looking passerby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and so we begin!

Jongin needed money. That’s why he worked here. He didn’t come every day for the customers to make lewd comments at him, or to grab him the way they always did, that the manager never did anything about. He didn’t even come because he wanted to anymore. He’d saved up enough money to pay school tuition for a few months until he had found another job. The owner, however, wouldn’t let Jongin quit. The boy had gone to the old man every week, telling him that he wanted to quit every time. And every time the owner said no, he has to stay, he’s one of their most popular servers. At some point, Jongin had stopped caring, and soon every week turned into once a month until finally, Jongin stopped asking altogether.

\-----------------------

The brunet makes his way through the crowded New York streets, ducking and weaving under and around people that pass by with quickened steps. A duffel hangs from his shoulder and swings against his body as he rushes around. He crosses an intersection, adjusting his round glasses briefly, and makes a sharp turn down a bright alleyway, the sun keeping an orange glow as it begins to set. Jongin follows along the cramped alley until he reaches the other side and steps onto a less busy sidewalk. He continues on his path until he finally reaches a tall, regal hotel. The doorman standing watch nods to Jongin as he pulls open the door to let the waiter in.

 

Jongin doesn’t slow down as he heads to the front desk and makes a quick left toward the elevators. He presses the button rather heavily and waits with an impatient tap as the elevator makes its way to him. He glances at his watch and hops in the elevator, immediately pressing the button for the top floor; the elevator takes him there in just under a minute. Stepping out, he turns and makes his way down a long hallway decorated fancily, heading toward a set of tall gold double doors. Two intimidating men stand to either side of the doorway, both seeing Jongin’s tall figure approaching and nodding to him like the doorman did, and opening the door for him without hesitation.

 

“Hey, guys,” Jongin quickly greets with a small smile.

 

“Hi Nini,” says the one with a pitch-black undercut to Jongin’s left. He smiles brightly to the tall brunet, making himself look softer than his big body and natural 

appearance do.

 

“Hello, Jongin,” says the one with russet hair to the left. He smiles as brightly as the other, though his smile is much softer, smaller, making him seem more like a huggable teddy bear.

 

Jongin loved the bouncers they had here outside the club. Both of them were the sweetest men to exist. The first time Jongin had come to the club, their first question was not who he was but when his birthday was and what his favorite food was. He told them, and when it finally came around they had given him a whole bucket of fried chicken and a stuffed bear as gifts. It was one of the few gifts Jongin had ever gotten, so he treasured them. Though he ate the chicken almost immediately, the bear was still in his room on his bookshelf, and he cuddles it every now and then when he’s upset.

 

“Call us if you need anything, okay?” Wonho, the black-haired one, says. He looks at Jongin with worried eyes. “We know what he’s like.”

 

They knew what happened inside the club; they knew about the things the boss never did anything about.

 

Jongin, genuinely, smiles a little bit wider at both of them. “Thanks, guys.”

\-----------------------

Sehun hasn’t left his room. He sat there, staring at the key sitting in his hand with a bunny silhouette on the head. The letter it came with lay worn out next to Sehun as he thinks about the words on it that he’s read over and over.

 

_ This Key opened the door that led me to my true love. I hope it leads you to yours. _

 

Sehun could never decode what the beautiful, elegant script possibly meant, no matter how many times he turned it over and over in his head. It wasn’t a normal key that works in a door since it was just flat. Regardless of its possible meaning or non-meaning, Sehun kept it on him every day, because it was still a gift from his grandma. She had recently passed away; one of the things she’d left for her grandson was the key currently resting in his palm. As obvious as her letter was to him, Sehun felt there was some hidden meaning behind her words.

 

When were deceased relatives ever  _ not _ cryptic?

 

With yet another sigh of defeat, Sehun reclines in his desk chair, which lets out a high-pitched screech as he bends it back. It squeaks rhythmically as Sehun rocks himself back and forth, humming to himself in thought.

\-----------------------

At some point the next day, Sehun finds himself walking to a corner store after his stomach grumbles, low and angry. He yanks the cheap glass door open, a bell ringing, and he’s greeted by a cheerful woman in a messy, dainty apron at the counter.

 

“Sehun! How are you, my boy?”

 

The woman’s smile easily stretches from ear to ear as she finishes a conversation with a departing customer. She’s dusting off the counter and Sehun could smell something--or some  _ things _ \--cooking in the small oven next to her.

 

Sehun gives her an easy smile, “Hi, Rosa. I’m doing good, what about you?”

 

Rosa’s loving smile fades when she squints her eyes and furrows her brows at Sehun. “You’ve come here three days in a row, are you sure you’re eating properly? I don’t want you going skinny and getting sick on me!”

 

Sehun walks up to the counter to check out while she was scolding him, and he watches as she piles up fresh-made goods on the counter next to his purchase.

 

Sehun begins, “Rosa-”

 

Rosa points a callused finger at Sehun, interrupting him, “You better take these, young man, or no free bubble tea coupons for a week!”

 

Sehun presses his lips together as Rosa nods in triumph, and he thankfully (though somewhat reluctantly) takes everything Rosa added to his bag of iced tea and snacks. He spots a container with a mushy-looking brown food in it and faces Rosa with a smile stretched all the way across his face. She gives him a wink and shoos him from her store with a mock frown.

 

Sehun laughs as he leaves the older woman’s store with a sprightly step. He hums a catchy tune as he strolls back to his apartment, enjoying being outside in the sun for the first time that day. Cars speed past him both ways, a subway train rumbling through the tracks over his head. The city ambiance makes him feel comfortable as he passes by strangers in the street, all in a hurry to get somewhere, unlike him.

 

His merry attitude continued when he happened to pass by a certain fancy-looking hotel with a doorman standing at the front, watching the people that went by. In a very not-creepy way, Sehun would add. Sehun gives himself a moment to marvel at the glorious building standing in front of him, lined in what looked like gold lace that shimmered in the sunlight. The building was just tall enough to reach the sun even over the subway’s bridge. Sehun takes a couple more steps, moving onto the red velvet carpet running outside from the building’s lobby.

 

His movements halt a second later when he sees ahead of fluffy chestnut hair, covered by a loose white beanie, pass by and head into the building.

 

“Holy shit.”   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sehun you shouldn't curse you're a baby


	2. Caffe Mocha

Sehun’s eyes are blown wide as he literally _gawks_ at the marvelous beauty that passes by him. His mouth hangs open as he--now--stares into space in the general direction of the hotel’s doors. Sehun feels something warm stir in his stomach and spread all the way up his neck to his ears, tinting them red. He nearly chokes on the breath he didn’t know he was holding, shaking his head to snap his mind back to reality. His head feels a little light, his legs a little numb, his arms like they were floating. Sehun’s knees almost buckle from the numbness until he gives his body another good shake, propelling himself forward closer to the hotel’s doors. He takes a few long strides until his feet freeze up and keep him from going any further. He looks down at what he’s currently wearing; worn-out jeans from two days ago, an old bleach-stained hoodie, leather boots that are probably older than he is, and that shitty old black coat his aunt bought him when he was in high school.

 

Sehun reconsiders his actions, looking back at the hotel and biting his lip, then turns around after a second thought.

 

“Guess I’ll have to take a rain check on that one,” Sehun grumbles to himself.

 

He gives one last glance at the hotel, then finally wills himself to head back to his small studio apartment.

 

\-----------------------

 

Jongin doesn’t know how many times he’s sighed to himself over the course of about an hour, but he’s certain that he’s tired. It wasn’t because he hasn’t gotten sleep either; he went to bed early the night before, after spending most of the night practicing dance after he came home from the club. He was, however, tired of his boss’s bullshit. He’s worked at this shitty club for nearly a year and still couldn’t quit because the owner didn’t want him to go. Jongin knew the old man’s bullshit excuse word-for-word at this point and would probably snap if he heard it one more time, which is probably why he stopped asking.

 

Jongin has to physically restrain himself from denting his locker with the heel of his boot. He inhales a breath for more than a few seconds and exhales as slowly as possible when his coworker Baekhyun walks into the locker room. The shorter blond male throws his old backpack carelessly on the ground and quickly sheds his ratty pullover hoodie.

 

“Baek how illegal is it to try and strangle the boss,” Jongin questions the older.

 

Baekhyun taps a finger against his lower lip, furrowing his brows. “Depends on if you’re trying to hurt him or kill him.”

 

“A little bit of both, I guess,” Jongin says as he shrugs off his own coat and strips down.

 

Jongin shivers a bit when the cold air hits his bare body, missing the warmth of his winter wear as he changes into uniform with Baekhyun. The younger lets out a sigh when he finishes dressing, feeling slightly more uncomfortable in his uniform than he had ever before, but doesn’t know why. He feels a warm hand on his shoulder, looking only to see Baekhyun’s eyes glazed over with empathy like he _knows_ what Jongin is going through. Like Baekhyun _knows_ there’s nothing they could do.

 

\-----------------------

 

The duo steps into the showroom as soon as Baekhyun slips into his knee-high leather boots, Jongin fastening his own kitten-heeled boots; both don their fluffy bunny ear headbands. It’s still fairly early out so there are only a few customers in the club, but both boys are greeted cheerfully (maybe even drunkenly) by the patrons. Baekhyun gets a few whistles as he struts by, winking at a couple of the guests as he makes his way through his greetings.

 

Jongin feels like folding in on himself as he begins to feel the eyes of customers following his every move, almost freezing him to his spot. He finally snaps out of his trance when Junmyeon, the bartender, calls Jongin over to deliver drinks to tables.

 

Jongin jogs toward the bar so as not to keep customers waiting as Junmyeon places the drinks on a serving tray.

 

The bartender’s voice is slightly above a whisper as he asks, “Doing okay today, Jongin?”

“As good as I possibly can be in this place,” Jongin huffs. His lip sticks out a little bit in his answer, and he picks up the tray with a plastic smile.

 

Jongin carefully turns around and steps with one foot in front of the other as he makes his way over to the one table, with customers, lacking drinks. They all are roaring with laughter when Jongin appears to set their drinks down, and a couple of them settle down as they focus their gazes on Jongin’s movements. It causes Jongin to break out into a sweat, and he can feel his palms losing their grip as he finally sets down the last glass on the table.

 

“Is there anything else I can get you?” Jongin bites the inside of his cheek to keep himself from stuttering, and also to stop himself from shaking.

 

The men fall into a hushed discussion as Jongin waits for them to dismiss him. However, when they turn back to him, the largest man with a thick mustache simply grins at Jongin.

 

Jongin felt that it would be a long, _long_ evening.

 

\-----------------------

 

Sehun lays on his bed lost in thought as he considers the warm key resting in his palm. With no idea whatsoever what the key meant, Sehun resorted to keeping it simply as a lucky charm. He wondered again and again who the stranger was that walked into that fancy hotel. Sehun was perplexed as to how he had been so entranced by the mystery man. Sehun replayed the experience over so many times in his mind that he began to imagine faces on the mysterious stranger.

 

It was kind of sad, really.

 

Sehun has no idea what the stranger looks like, so why is he so... _enamored_? Sehun bites his lip and runs a quick hand through his hair, sitting up with a sigh.

 

“What the HELL is going on with me??” Sehun yells as he stands up in frustration, into the emptiness of his apartment.

 

“Why. Am. I. So. Ob. Sessed. With. Him.” Sehun hits himself with one of his pillows in between syllables. Finally, he throws himself back onto his mattress and sighs yet again.

 

 _He looked so...sad_ , Sehun thinks to himself. _His posture was so slumped and his eyes...they looked hopeless._

 

Sehun hated being alone with his thoughts because the kept going back to _mystery boy mystery boy mystery boy_. So, he does the only thing he could think of as a distraction: drowning himself in work. Sehun stomps over to his desk, hoists himself cross-legged onto his desk chair and snaps open his laptop, immediately typing away to continue his procrastinated assignment.

 

At some point between body language and studying evidence remains, Sehun’s phone alarm went off. His phone screen simply says _Eat Dinner_ as it chimes continuously. Sehun taps to dismiss it and starts toward his kitchen. His hands wander through his cabinets and into his fridge to pull out whatever he could to make some semblance of a meal (that wouldn’t disappoint Rosa). He sticks the empanadas the older woman had given him into his toaster oven to warm them up and grabs one of his many iced teas. He cracks open his bottle and taps against the counter less-than-rhythmically as he waits for his meal to warm up. When the toaster finishes, Sehun quickly yanks the piping-hot fried treats onto a plate, hissing when the crust burns his fingers slightly.

 

“Ow, dammit,” Sehun hisses under his breath.

 

He sacrifices his fingers once more to break open the empanadas and release some of the steam. Carrying the tea between his fingers and the plate in his hands, Sehun hums on his trek back to his room to eat and continue working.

 

\-----------------------

 

When Sehun finally runs out of distractions, his mind wanders back to the beautiful sad boy from the other day. Sehun feels the teeth of the key in his hoodie pocket. He takes it out of his pocket and turns it in his hand a few times, eyeing the design and the engraving on the back that he doesn’t understand.

 

He suddenly remembered his cryptic grandmother’s words, a lightbulb seeming to go off in his head as he put on his shoes and ran to the front door, throwing on his coat and slamming the door behind him as he bolted from his apartment into the city, following the familiar path to an unfamiliar place.

 

Sehun’s chest heaves as he jogs to a stop in front of the gold-laced building he had crossed the day before. He leans over onto his legs as he catches his breath and fixes himself to look less like a mess when he approaches the front door to the building, not seeing the usual doorman out front. Sehun took uncertain steps, not sure what he would do once inside until he sees a familiar white beanie on top of even more familiar chestnut hair pass him by. Sehun’s eyes are fixed on the boy that passes him by, unnoticed by the lighter-haired male.

 

Sehun’s mind powers down as his feet seem to follow the individual in front of him. Sehun finds himself by the elevators as the brunet boy hops on and presses a button. The raven-haired male runs in front of the elevators to see the mysterious boy’s car stop on the 37th floor.

 

 _Oh dear Lord help me please_ , Sehun pleads as he presses the elevator button.

 

The elevator stops at Sehun’s desired floor, and the raven-headed male looks around as he makes his way down the long hall. It leads to two large oak doors, and to either side of the doors are massive bouncers. Sehun gulps and clenches the key in his palm as tight as he can as he strides toward the doors with intent, confidence, and attempts to push right through.

 

Except, a very large and muscular arm stands in his way.

 

“Sorry, but you can’t come in here without prior invitation,” says the left bouncer.

 

The guard wore a black turtleneck which is intimidating enough on his well-built frame. His black undercut hair and piercing only serve to make him look for terrifying, much to Sehun’s dismay. He does _horribly_ against people like this.

 

Sehun sucks in a breath and tries to get through, only to be pushed back this time by the same muscular arm. Sehun stumbles back a little, losing his balance and falling to the floor. His key drops in front of him as he attempts to get himself back up.

Both of the guards at the door look down at the small silver key in front of them, eyes wide.

 

“Hyunwoo,” Wonho whispers to his partner, “do you see what I see on that key?”

 

The russet guard nods his head and bites back a nervous smile as he watches the tall boy in front of them get back on his feet.

 

“Our apologies, sir,” Hyunwoo says to Sehun.

 

“Please go right ahead,” Wonho finishes for him, opening the door for the younger boy.

 

Sehun picks up his key and, slightly confused, finally passes through the doors.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get Jongin to notice you Sehun challenge: failed
> 
> On another note, Jongin is just doing his best
> 
> Let me know what you think in the comments PLEASE I love reading people's comments


	3. Jack Rose

Sehun locks eyes with the dark-haired bouncer, who simply gives him a small smile as the taller male passes by. Sehun turns his attention away from the bouncers as they shut the door behind him and finds himself gaping at the sight before him. The club is huge, leather-clad booths scattered across the floor wrapped in tall, elegant headboards for added privacy. The carpet has an intricate floral design outlined in silver lace that flows to a gorgeous gold-lit bar highlighted by the vast number of liquors stacked behind its counter.

 

Sehun notices the blond bartender watching him, though Sehun’s eyes were busy scanning the floor of the club for one specific head of hair.

 

There are waiters and waitresses walking all around dressed in glitter leotards and black stockings with bunny ears on their heads, all of different colors. The women prefer stilettos that match the color of their uniform, while the men favor hot pants over their leotards and boots between ankle-length and thigh-high cuts.

 

Finally, Sehun spots a familiar head of chestnut hair.

\----------------------- 

Jongin breathes a heavy sigh and his eyelids fall shut as he rests his back against the wall behind the bar. He waits patiently for a silent signal from Junmyeon to pick up more drinks from the bar as the blond male shakes tumbler after tumbler of drinks.

 

A knock sounds on the wall Jongin leans against, and he takes that as his cue to roll around to the other side and meet Junmyeon’s hands to take the platter of drinks from him. Jongin watches Junmyeon nods his head in the direction of the same table as before with the fat man with the mustache and his loud friends. Jongin rolls his eyes and throws his head back a little, a quiet whine sounding in his throat as Junmyeon looks at him with sad eyes. The bartender gives the waiter a sad but consoling smile as the taller male makes his way to his table, a pout on his lip.

 

He sets the drinks down gingerly, careful not to spill anything from the completely-filled glasses. Several pairs of eyes watch him, crude gazes following his every movement. Jongin suddenly feels like his legs are too cold, his arms too bare, the cut of his leotard too low down his chest. He felt a bitter heat crawl under his skin into his head, blurring what was around him. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he tried to focus on the table in front of him. His mouth feels dry.

 

“Is there...is there anything--anything else I can get you?”

 

The mustached man placed a cigar in his mouth as he reclined in his seat, looking straight at Jongin. “In fact...there certainly is,” he says with a brutal grin that forces a cold sweat on Jongin’s neck.

 

The brunet swallows his nerves, throat sticking. “What...what would that be, sir?”

 

“How much do we have to pay for a little...extra service?”

 

Jongin sucks in a sure breath. “I’m sorry, sir, but the rules state that bunnies are not to be-”

 

The fat man slams a fist down on the table, the rest of his friends unbothered but causing Jongin to nearly jump out of his skin. Jongin’s feet almost send him a step backward, but he maintains his posture and attempts to recollect a proper expression.

 

“Why else do any of you fucking sluts work here then?! Surely you must be used to this kind of thing, looking at the way all of you dress,” the man sneers. He grabs behind Jongin’s thigh and yanks the boy closer. “You’re all dressed like you’re ready to lap dance, so how come you can’t give that to us?”

 

Jongin feels like slime is running down his leg as the man continues to stare at him, as vulgarly as the rest of the table. Jongin moves his leg out of reach of his customer, folding his hands in front of him politely.

 

“I cannot accept your request. Please call me if you need anything else,” Jongin says finally, spinning around to return to the bar.

 

Unfortunately, the fat man wouldn’t fucking take no for an answer.

\-----------------------

Sehun wriggles his way through the club, trying to avoid colliding with any of the servers. His eyes latch onto the fluffy chestnut hair just meters away from him, the tall waiter standing at one of the tables serving customers. Sehun can see the brunet’s tremors as the younger male watches him interact with the customers at the table. Sehun can tell by the smug grins on their faces (and the raspberry flushing of the waiter) that they’re making lewd comments at him.

 

Sehun notes that no one is doing a _fucking thing_ about it, either.

 

Ready to dig his fists into a man’s face, Sehun marches in the direction of the chestnut-haired waiter, only to have some short old man stop him in his tracks.

 

“Excuse me! Yes, you, hello sir!” The man gives a jolly smile to Sehun, extending a hand out to Sehun.

 

Sehun reaches out a reluctant hand as the man runs his mouth with formalities; Sehun simply watches his waiter.

 

“I am the owner of this establishment, it’s wonderful to meet you! I’m so sorry about the guards outside, they must have been terribly rude. I’m sure they simply weren’t expecting someone like you to approach them! I’ll be sure to have a talk with them later, but in the meantime please, please, have a drink!! I’ll request our best girls to serve you or one of our waiters if you’d prefer! I truly think-”

 

Sehun waved a hand and stepped away from the rambling man. “Thank you so much, but I don’t have the time.”

 

The young male attempted to sidestep the man, but he simply follows Sehun’s step. “I must insist! Someone of your status only deserves the absolute best from our club!”

 

“No, really, I don’t want any-”

 

“We have one of the largest selections of alcohol in the city, and only the finest servers! All of them are beauties, of course.”

 

 _Oh my fucking Lord get me out of here_ , Sehun thinks desperately to himself. He casts a sad look in the direction of his chestnut-haired waiter and faces away from the old man still talking to him, starting back towards the entrance.

 

“Oh, I see you have to go!” The old man finally stops trying to sell his “goods” to Sehun after seeing the taller makes his way out the doors. “Please feel free to come back again! We will make sure to give you only the best next time!”

 

Sehun brings his hands up and rubs his face, feeling absolutely drained from dealing with the owner.

 

“That was fucking horrible,” Sehun mutters under his breath.

 

Sehun heard a pair of sighs behind him. “I’m guessing you met the owner?”

 

Sehun turns and sees the curly-haired bouncer pinching the bridge of his nose, eyes closed, as the russet-haired one looks at Sehun with a dry laugh.

 

The russet guard speaks, “He’s a bit of a piece of work, sorry about that. You do look sad though, were you perhaps looking for someone?”

 

Sehun’s cheeks flush at the exposure, and he scratches the back of his neck with downcast eyes. “Yeah...yeah, I kind of was, but….the owner kind of…”

 

The darker bouncer covered his mouth like he was going to cry as the russet speaks again, “I’m sorry about that. Maybe if you come next time you can try again?”

 

Sehun feels a light bulb rise above his head. “When is the owner out?”

 

The larger bouncer wipes at some tears in his eyes with a handkerchief then looks at Sehun. “He’s out Thursday nights, goes to some poker game in South Jersey.”

  

Sehun's face lights up with a grin. "Thank you!" and he bids the two guards goodbye, making his way out of the hotel with a bit of excitement in each step.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry Jongin :( Also guess who finally updated!! Sorry for the wait I've been mad busy
> 
> Also if you're reading this maybe leave a comment, yeah? I like interacting with people :C


	4. Roy Roger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sehun has a dream, returns to the club when the owner is out and finally meets his chestnut-haired angel.
> 
> Jongin meets a stoic-faced boy that he feels oddly comfortable with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, Sehun meets the love of his life!! We love a confident gay!
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter! I apologize for it being so late .-.
> 
> On the bright side, happy birthday to Sehun!!

_ Sehun hears gentle music flowing from somewhere, quiet notes floating through his head as he steps out into the living room. He plops down onto his old oversized couch, shifting all of its weight towards himself as the tanned boy already sitting there falls into Sehun’s lap. There’s laughter coming from both their lips, Sehun’s eyes crinkle into crescents as he pokes at the tanned belly next to him, making the chestnut-haired boy giggle and weakly push Sehun’s hands away. _

 

_ They remain like that, content and affectionate as everything begins to fade away. _

\-----------------------

Sehun wakes up fresh the next morning, feeling dazed from the excursions of yesterday. He feels his head throb at the thought of a certain overenthusiastic old man and his heart sting thinking about a certain other chestnut-haired boy.

 

His limbs drag him out of bed as he heads to the bathroom to get ready for his class (which he thankfully only had one of). The young scientist splashes ice-cold water onto his face that startles him awake and, with a few good slaps to his cheeks, he pats his face dry and hurries to throw together breakfast. Sehun sees that he still has wraps from Rosa, so he tosses one in his bag and rips another open to eat before his ride to school. He throws a cardigan over his t-shirt (it smelled clean enough) and chews his chicken fajita wrap as he wrestles on a pair of jeans and slips on his favorite shearling boots that keep his toes warm.

 

He practically inhales the rest of his breakfast when he grabs his phone, sees the clock says he has about 10 minutes to get to class, and sprints out the door with his jacket and bag in tow.

 

Sehun nearly falls when he finally arrives in his class, stumbling his way up to the only seat left next to his best friend, Tao.

 

“Sleep late, Honey Bee?” Sehun’s friend smirks as Sehun glares at him, out of breath and sweating like a horse.

 

“Shut up I was having such a good dream,” Sehun says as he shoves his friend and yanks his notebook out of his backpack.

 

Sehun’s still searching for a writing utensil when Tao speaks up again, “Ooh, a sexy dream? Is that why you’re so re-”

 

“Zitao I swear to god I will shove my burrito down your throat and choke you,” Sehun threatens. It just makes his friend laugh.

 

Before Tao can make fun of his best friend any further, their professor walks in and their class begins.

\-----------------------

As soon as his class ends, Sehun is already packed up and on his way out the door. Tao barely blinks before he sees his best friend practically sprinting from the university, but he simply shrugs and figures he can just text Sehun later.

 

But his curiosity gets the better of him, so he whips out his phone and sends a text to Sehun anyway.

 

**peaches** 10:05:

_ yo whyd u fuckin dash from class i wanted to hang out :( _

 

**sehunnie bunches of oats** 10:10:

_ sorry man i have to go somewhere. tomorrow? _

 

**peaches** 10:10:

_ i’ll hold you to that ;) _

 

**sehunnie bunches of oats** 10:11:

_ love you muah <3 _

 

**peaches** 10:11:

_ lov you mwah E> _

 

Sehun stuffs his phone in his pocket as his train pulls to a stop at the station near the hotel. He jumps off and runs up the stairs, not caring about the way his lungs have been screaming at him.

 

“Shit, I really need to get out more,” he mutters to himself.

 

His chest is heaving as he stands at the doors to the club, the bouncers looking down at his crouching figure with both confusion and concern.

 

“You okay there? Uh…” The curly-haired guard asks the wheezing boy in front of him.

 

“I’m…” Sehun breathes for a few moments. “I’m….totally….good.”

 

The russet-haired bouncer lets out a quiet laugh, “You look like you ran a marathon to get here, kid.”

 

“I did,” Sehun confirms. He finally grabs the wall to stand himself up and looks at the two guards with wide, shocked eyes. “I don’t...I don’t know your names.”

 

The bouncers blink and look at each other, having realized the same thing since the younger boy mentioned it.

 

“Wow,” they say in unison. They share a lighthearted laugh and introduce themselves.

 

“My name is Hyunwoo, but you’re free to call me Shownu,” greets the russet on the right.

 

“And I’m Hoseok, you can call me Wonho,” says the left one with a bright smile. He had intimidated Sehun at first, but now Sehun sees he may very well be the sweetest person the university student has ever met.

 

“Nice to meet you guys,” Sehun breathes, “my name’s Oh Sehun.”

 

After Sehun has finally caught all his breath and they’ve finished their pleasantries, the two open the doors to let Sehun back into the club.

\-----------------------

Jongin’s face is haggard and practically wrinkling by the time he finally gets a break from his customers, sagging a bit against the wall by the bar. Junmyeon passes him a glass of water that he chugs, breathing a cold sigh of content as the bartender cleans the returned glass.

 

“Jun, I’m so  _ tired _ ,” Jongin whines to his friend.

 

The blond gives him a pitying sigh, setting down the glass and leaning his elbows on the counter to look at the waiter. “I know darling it’s just a few more hours, okay?”

 

Jongin wants to throw his head back and yell out a groan. He goes to sulk by his wall, his lick stuck in a pout as he leans against it with one leg crossed and his back straight, as per required. He doesn’t notice the tall head of raven-black hair that passes by him to sit at the counter.

 

“Can I get a strawberry-rose spritzer, please,” the man asks politely, deep and delicate.

 

Jongin can’t help but stare at the man whose lips just uttered a “please,” one of the rarest words spoken in the club. 

 

Sehun goes nearly rigid when he sees sun-kissed skin pass through his line of sight as Jongin sets down his drink. That gorgeous, fluffy hair is slicked back but falls in Jongin’s eyes whenever he moves his head, and Sehun can’t help the need he feels to touch it. Of course, in the midst of his gay panic, he doesn’t.

 

Instead, Sehun goes for words he can’t seem to find. “Uh--um your hair is very...your hair is very...very pretty?”

 

Jongin’s eyes simply widen, his mouth agape as he tilts his head a little to the side. Sehun watches the brunet’s slick locks bounce with the movement. The shorter Bunny simply gives a little giggle that has Sehun nearly collapsing from his seat. He does, however, spit out a bit of his pink alcoholic beverage.

 

“I think that may be the lightest cocktail I’ve ever seen someone order here,” Jongin says to the raven head.

 

Sehun gives the Bunny a confused smile until Jongin clarifies, “Most of the customers here are quite...attached to their masculinity, I guess.”

 

A laugh escapes the younger’s lips as he sips his favorite drink again. “I really don’t think it does much for them, honestly. After all, who are the more popular ones?” Sehun punctuates his last question with a stupid grin that Jongin immediately wants to kiss off that sweet-looking face. 

 

“And...I must say, you are definitely one of my more polite customers.” Jongin rubs his neck, eyes glancing at the blond behind the bar, whose back is facing Jongin though the brunet can see shoulders shaking with stifled laughter.

 

Sehun feels happy hearing his crush call him polite out loud, yet he also feels some sense of guilt thinking that other people aren’t as courteous to the boy. Jongin seems so sweet, even though Sehun has only successfully spoken to him for about three minutes. Sehun sees Jongin move to go back and wait by the wall, but speaks again to halt the older’s movements.

 

“S-so, do you...Do you come here often?”

\-----------------------

Jongin almost chokes hearing the words tumble out of the ravenet’s mouth and he brings a hand up to cover up his own hysterical laughter.

 

“I-I’m kidding...I’ve actually...been here a couple of times already, I saw you working here before…” Sehun admits to the brunet. "N-not in a creepy way!! I promise!"

 

Jongin snickers and thinks back to his shifts, but of course, the only thing he remembers is the number of times those slimy bastards pulled on his shorts and touched him. The memory casts a dark hue on the boy’s beautiful features. Sehun notices.

 

“I, um…” Sehun begins, daring to touch upon the subject that’s bothered him since the moment he set foot into the club, “I’ve met the owner, too.”

 

Sehun remains quiet for a while, analyzing the changes to his crush’s face. Sehun can see sadness, anger, irritation, and helplessness shine through those chocolate-brown eyes. It tugs painfully on Sehun’s chest. He just wants to give the boy a hug, strong enough to reassure the Bunny but gentle enough to let Jongin know he cares, that he worries. Before he can continue, Jongin speaks up.

 

“He...He never...He never does anything, I-I hate it. There aren’t any fucking rules against touching here I fucking  _ hate  _ it, I wish I could punch some of these customers. That fucking old man doesn’t give a  _ shit _ about any of us. Baekhyun has been working here for 6 years and he has 3 restraining orders waiting because there are some customers that just don’t fucking understand that he  _ doesn’t _ want his ass grabbed!”

 

Jongin’s chest is heaving, he barely breathed during his entire rant and Sehun’s eyes are stuck stupidly open. Jongin bit back a smile, it felt  _ so good _ to let it out, to call out the owner, to finally tell someone everything that’s been bothering him--

 

Jongin freezes, his hands fly up to cover his mouth as his eyes widen and brows furrow. His body starts to tremble. His sun-kissed skin was now looking pallor as he chanced a look towards the tall male sitting beside him at the counter.

 

“P-please,” Jongin whispers, swallowing thickly, “please don’t...tell anyone I said all of that. Please--please don’t tell…”

\-----------------------

Sehun can’t feel his body. He can’t tell he’s trembling, he can’t feel the cold glass resting in his palm. All he’s sure of is the rage he felt burning in his chest. He wants to scream, to yell, and to throw his barstool across the floor; he wants to stomp right up to the owner of the club and punch him square in the face. But Sehun currently remains frozen in his seat, shaking every few seconds, staring at his crush paled in front of him.

 

Sehun barely tunes into Jongin begging him not to say anything. Immediately, any and all traces of anger is washed away and replaced by something softer, more caring as he stares into wide, chocolate eyes.

 

Sehun reaches for Jongin’s hands, pausing when he’s only a hair’s breadth away from the shorter’s and looks into his eyes. He waits for that shimmer of consent from the brunet’s eyes, then pulls one hand away from plush lips, grasping it gently but firmly.

 

“I promise,” Sehun’s brows furrow, wide eyes looking up, “I promise I will not speak a word of this to anyone, ever in my lifetime.”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel so indirectly proud of Sehun for some reason.
> 
> Please comment I like hearing your opinions even if it's just keysmashed gobbledygook


End file.
